Mod Betty isn’t sending you into the Barclay Pharmacy to fill a prescription - unless you've been told to get a daily dose of the past. Once called “Philadelphia’s Most Beautiful Pharmacy” it has been in this historic (circa 1855) building since 1959 (earlier it was in the corner building just across the street, according to this 194 [...]

Though the Reading Terminal Market is in no way a “hidden” vintage place to visit in the city, it is a destination for history buffs and food lovers alike (aka Retro Roadmappers!) Also, its location within a few blocks of Macy’s (hello, Wanamaker Organ!) and McGillin’s makes it a perfect stop to round out a retro day in the center of Center [...]

Mod Betty has a sweet tooth and a sweet spot for vintage family owned bakeries, so it’s a bit of a super sugar rush to be able to share with you Haegele’s Bakery! Opened in 1930 by German immigrant August Haegele, this small corner shop has been in continuous operation (3rd generation, with a 4th helping out) by the Haegele family since [...]

A throwback to the tiny shops that used to line East Passyunk when people did more cooking than dining out, Mancuso & Son was opened in 1940 by Lucio J. Mancuso, and today stands as a reminder of what the neighborhood was like before it got hip. This sliver of a shop tucked under the plastic awning is under the direction of Lucio’s son Phil, [...]

The Trolley Car diner feels like a vintage diner that has been here forever, but it has only been nestled in the crook of Germantown Avenue since 1999. Owner Ken Weinstein and his partners had a 1951 Mountain View diner (originally from Wilkes Barre, PA) moved to this location, and a few years later added an actual 1948 trolley car to the pa [...]

Though anyone can grab a generic box of candy at a drugstore, nothing says "I Care" like getting a sweet treat for a special occasion (or any occasion at all) at a 4th-generation candy store like Lerro’s Candy on South Broad Street in Philadelphia. The diminutive shop opened over 100 years ago as a candy and ice cream shop, with everything [...]

While you may not need a prescription filled if you're just visiting Philly,  don't let that deter you from taking the short 10 minute walk from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to Ellis Pharmacy. It is the perfect Retro Roadmap-worthy place in the neighborhood to get a water or soda, snack, pain reliever, lip balm or whatever you may need to set yo [...]

Wow, was my day ever made when we pulled on the door at De Barth Typewriter Repairs and it was open! Robert does most of his repairwork for people who send their typewriters to him, so he keeps the lights off in the front mostly. Here's a quick video I did with my phone (apologies/quality/my big face) to give you a peek inside. I hope to return [...]

If every neighborhood had a local bakery as good as Danish Bakers in Rockledge, PA we’d all be a lot happier...and heavier! Founded in 1960 by Ray McCrimmon Senior, it is still run by two generations of the McCrimmon family, as well as a friendly crew of counter help and behind the scenes bakers. Ray’s tenure as a baker at Ed Zaberer’s on [...]

Here’s a cool vintage place - and it’s literally cool: Tucked into a residential section of Ardmore PA is the nation’s oldest and largest figure skating club, the Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society. This club was founded in 1861, formed by combining two existing clubs from even earlier: The Skaters Club of the City and Co [...]

In this otherwise sleepy area of Bucks County, the building on the corner of Main and Temple in Sellersville has drawn visitors since 1975 (now that's retro!) Today this corner  is still sure to appeal to Retro Roadmappers looking for an entertaining evening or weekend getaway. The Washington House Restaurant The Washington House Restaurant [...]

When an awesome photographer pal asks if she can tag along on a Retro Roadtrip, where does Mod Betty take her for the most bang for their buck? Lancaster, PA! We could only visit a sliver of what Lancaster has to offer, but we ran the gamut from kitschy roadside attractions to hip and happening shopping spots. Maybe these photos from Doerthe Ex [...]

2018 Update: Mod Betty can't stay away from that danged tomato pie at Cascia's, it's addictive. We have gone back to Dad's Stuffings to give a sneak peek in the inside, just click here to read the Dad's Stuffing post on Retro Roadmap.    When visiting South Philly, a stop on Ritner Street means not only a visit to Ritner Hardware, but [...]

Burdick’s  Hatboro News Agency in downtown Hatboro PA has something for everyone in the family - including a working soda fountain! The Burdick family has owned and operated this shop since 1950, though the building itself was built in the 1860s (originally the home of an aptly named local stonemason Daniel Stone, before that it was the H [...]

The theater located at 212 York Road was built in 1913 and has had a number of name changes and incarnations in the over 100 years it has been livening up Jenkintown. First known as the Jenkintown Auditorium and later as The Embassy Theatre, York Road Theatre, the Chas III and The Merlin Theatre (You’ll spy a scrolled “M” for Merlin etched [...]

Walking past this staid brick structure on State Street in Newtown, PA you may think it is a church. Well, at one point it was one, for traveling ministers. Or perhaps you think it is a town hall? It was that too - built in 1831 as Newtown Hall, later reconfigured in the 1880s as a place where the townspeople would gather for meetings and [...]

Fans of all things yesteryear know how much fun it can be to add a bit of throwback fashion flair into their everyday lives, from a simple brooch to an entire outfit. But bricks and mortar vintage clothes shops are becoming more and more rare these days (with so much selling going online), that when one has been thriving in a busy downtown loc [...]

While Lulu’s Boutique & Gifterie isn’t decades-old like many of the places Mod Betty loves, this little shop has done so much to put our town on the Vintage lovers map that it would be a sin not to share this little biz with you. Located on Main Street in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania you can’t miss their yarn-bombed tree and eye-catchi [...]

On a grey winter day, nothing beckons Mod B off the road than a big ol' neon sign pointing at a vintage diner. Who am I trying to kid? Even on a sunny warm day it would be a sin not to stop by the Miss Oxford Diner in Oxford Pennsylvania, as it is one of the few Retro Roadmap worthy places in southern Chester County, PA. A "Silk City" diner [...]

Heisey’s diner Lebanon PA was recommended to me by fellow diner pal Kyle Weaver. He’s one of the authors of the second edition of the book Diners of Pennsylvania , a valuable resource I rely on, so I knew he knew what he was talking about. Upon pulling into the parking lot I spied the vintage diner shining under a shingled roof, it’s b [...]

Vintage candy store, family owned and operated for 85 years, and still retaining its vintage look and charm? Sounds Retro Roadmap-worthy in-and-of-itself. But when said candy store is also the epicenter for a delicacy loved for generations by people from Lebanon county but almost unheard of anywhere else? Jackpot!  Wertz Candies i [...]

Restaurant open since 1936 named after a Mom? - Check Cozy low ceilinged dining room called a...cellarette? ("Daintier than a cellar...it's a Cellar-ette!") Check (It's not really a cellar at all, 'cept it's in the ground floor of a house in residential West Reading, PA.) Great vintage angled sign that they took care to replace when [...]

March 2017 Update - according to Billy Penn, last day at Little Pete's is May 29, 2017. Get there now!   Feb 2016 Post: Little Pete's is probably one of the "newest" places Mod Betty will have on Retro Roadmap (having opened in the late 1970s), but sadly it won't be here for long, as this teeny eatery anticipates being demolished and [...]

20128 UPDATE: Lanes are still here, no longer Gilly's now ROCKWELL LANES. I'm updating the contact info, let's go duckpin bowl!   Original 2016 Post: UPDATE! Sadly I've been told the other Duckpin Lane in PA at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association are closed. Good news is that I now know about "Rubber Band" duckpins and there are a [...]